?  At some point Rice Hope ended up in the ownership of John Harleston. He willed it to his daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Dr. William Read. Dr. Read had Rice Hope cleared and banked for tidal rice cultivation (6).

1840  House destroyed by fire. A second house was built in its place. A pen-and-ink watercolor of the first house was done by painter Charles Fraser. It can be seen at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston (6).

1845  Dr. Read died and left the property to his son, J. Harleston Read, and his sister, Elizabeth Read Parker. By 1846 J. Harleston Read had complete control of the property. Rice Hope now consisted of 1,709 acres of timber and 371 acres of rice fields (6).

?  J. Harleston Read died and his son, Benjamin Read, inherited the property. Benjamin Read fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War (6).